Journal Article

Capacity challenges in water quality monitoring: understanding the role of human development

Janos J. Bogardi, Ilona Bärlund, Sabrina Kirschke, Kenneth Irvine, Deborah V. Chapman, Laurence Carvalho, Stuart Warner, Sung Bong Lee, Tamara Avellán, Chris Dickens, Thomas Mehner

2020

Overview

Monitoring the qualitative status of freshwaters is an important goal of the international community, as stated in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) indicator 6.3.2 on good ambient water quality. Monitoring data are, however, lacking in many countries, allegedly because of capacity challenges of less-developed countries. So far, however, the relationship between human development and capacity challenges for water quality monitoring have not been analysed systematically. This hinders the implementation of fine-tuned capacity development programmes for water quality monitoring. Against this background, this study takes a global perspective in analysing the link between human development and the capacity challenges countries face in their national water quality monitoring programmes. The analysis is based on the latest data on the human development index and an international online survey amongst experts from science and practice. Results provide evidence of a negative relationship between human development and the capacity challenges to meet SDG 6.3.2 monitoring requirements. This negative relationship increases along the course of the monitoring process, from defining the enabling environment, choosing parameters for the collection of field data, to the analytics and analysis of five commonly used parameters (DO, EC, pH, TP and TN). Our assessment can be used to help practitioners improve technical capacity development activities and to identify and target investment in capacity development for monitoring.

• Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC,Springer International Publishing,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: ambient water quality / capacity building / Capacity development / Chemical oxygen demand / decision making / Developed countries / Developing countries / Earth and Environmental Science / Ecology / Ecology and Environment / Ecotoxicology / electrical conductivity / Environment / environmental effects / Environmental Management / Environmental Monitoring / experts / financing / Fresh water / Freshwater resources / global survey / GNI / goal 6 clean water and sanitation / Gross National Income / Human Development Index / Human development index ; Surveys and Questionnaires [MeSH] ; Water [MeSH] ; Article ; Global survey ; Sustainable Development [MeSH] ; Humans [MeSH] ; Water quality parameters ; Capacity development ; SDG 6 ; Water Quality [MeSH] ; Environmental Monitoring [MeSH] / human resources / Humans / indicators / LDCs / Life expectancy / Monitoring / Monitoring/Environmental Analysis / Nitrogen / Parameters / Salinity / Sanctions / SDG 6 / SDG6 / Standard of living / strategies / surveys / Surveys and Questionnaires / Sustainable Development / Sustainable Development Goals / technology / total nitrogen / total phosphorus / Water / Water monitoring / Water quality / Water quality management / Water quality monitoring / Water quality parameters